BOOKS
NATHAN SÖDERBLOM: T H E O L O G I A N OF R E V E L A T I O N . By
Charles J ; Curtis. Covenant Press Chicago, 1966. 185 pp. Notes and
Bibliography. $5.95.
It is one hundred years since the birth of Söderblom and 35 years
since his death. Why should we be interested in the life and thought
of an archbishop of Sweden a generation after his career? And why
should Covenant Press publish a doctor's thesis on Söderblom and his
theology for American readers?
The answer is simple. Because Söderblom struggled with great
questions which still are central in the experiences of the world in
1966. In many respects he was so far ahead of his time that we today
appreciate him more than his own contemporaries did. He was a per­son
of intense vitality, interested in every form of human activity, ac­quainted
with leaders of thought in many parts of the world. He
became a world figure not only in the sense that he was internation­ally
known, but in his seeking for the truth that underlies all human
thought and faith. Few could keep up with him. Many failed to
understand him. Yet today his name is among those who are shaping
history.
His interest in the missions of the Church led him to study other
religions. Today, in a shrunken world, the Church finds itself a neigh­bor
to all the peoples of Africa and Asia, with their cultures and
religions. We speak of a crisis in missions; Söderblom saw this prob­lem
and tried to give an answer to the question of how we should
look on the beliefs of these people when we witness to our own faith.
Söderblom experienced the anguish of the First World War when
so-called Christian nations attempted to annihilate each other. What
message does the Church have in these days of modern war? He re­joiced
in receiving the Nobel Peace prize for his endeavors. He would
have been happier to know that the Church had something to say—
even before nuclear "progress!"
He realized that there was something wrong when churches fought
each other rather than the forces of evil in the world. He brought
about the Stockholm Conference in 1925 and helped lay the founda­tions
for the World Council of Churches. Then the Church of Rome
refused to cooperate. Later John XXIII and the II Vatican Council in
many respects followed a path geared up by the Archbishop of Upp­sala.
What was the faith of this remarkable man? What were his deepest
thoughts? In this book Charles Curtis helps us to understand him.
50
The author finds the key in Söderblom's ideas on revelation. For the
revelations of God was the theme of Söderblom's early book, T h e N a ­t
u r e of R e v e l a t i o n , 1905 (translated, it is worth remembering by Prof.
F. E. Pamp of the Covenant Church) and this was the dominant
thought of his last, unfinished book ( T h e L i v i n g God—the Gifford Lec­tures
at Oxford). Söderblom was not a systematic theologian, and
systematic theologians have a hard time judging him. He was, I make
bold to assert, a theological artist rather than a scientific theologian.
His keen intellect was trained on finding how God has revealed him­self
in the experiences of men and women. He never got far from his
pietistic father's conviction that God lives and works today. The
Creator did not cease creating. He is still t h e creative power in the
world of nature and of man. We can trace His activity in all religions,
for all truth is of Him. He is the power that inspires every genius,
in art, literature, music, as well as the source of the proclamations
of the prophets. Above all He has revealed himself in Jesus Christ,
supremely on the Cross, and this is the revelation of both the written
and the Spoken Word.
Curtis' book is a careful, scholarly analysis of Söderblom's writings,
all of them in some way striking the chord of "revelation." The many
quotations allow Söderblom to speak for himself and the author guides
the reader in getting some sort of systematic view of a wealth of ma­terial
not clearly systematized by Söderblom himself. The author also
endeavors to evaluate the criticisms directed at Söderblom.
This is not a theological review, for the readers of this Q u a r t e r l y
are probably not theologians. For the benefit of the layman who
reads Curtis' book, I would offer an observation that may forestall
some questions as to Söderblom's "orthodoxy." Many of us would
use the word "revelation" more strictly than Söderblom did, and
instead of "revelation" would use the word "interpretation." Much of
Söderblom's treatment of "genius" and "history" refers to men's inter­pretation
of God, but his point is that in these interpreters the Spirit
of God was active. Yet he allows that the revelation in the Old and
New Testament is a "special" revelation, as Curtis amply documents.
Prof. Bengt Sundkler of the University of Uppsala—who is himself
writing a biography of Söderblom, preparatory to the meeting of the
World Council of Churches at Uppsala in 1968—claims in the intro­duction
to Curtis' volume that Sweden has contributed two great
names to the history of international relationships of our day—Dag
Hammarskjöld and Nathan Söderblom. If one of the goals of the P i o ­n
e e r Q u a r t e r l y is to be an instrument of communication between this
country and Sweden, its readers will be as interested in the theology
of Söderblom as in the career of Hammarskjöld. Both have had a
part in lifting the level of humanity in this century.
CONRAD BERGENDOFF
51

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BOOKS
NATHAN SÖDERBLOM: T H E O L O G I A N OF R E V E L A T I O N . By
Charles J ; Curtis. Covenant Press Chicago, 1966. 185 pp. Notes and
Bibliography. $5.95.
It is one hundred years since the birth of Söderblom and 35 years
since his death. Why should we be interested in the life and thought
of an archbishop of Sweden a generation after his career? And why
should Covenant Press publish a doctor's thesis on Söderblom and his
theology for American readers?
The answer is simple. Because Söderblom struggled with great
questions which still are central in the experiences of the world in
1966. In many respects he was so far ahead of his time that we today
appreciate him more than his own contemporaries did. He was a per­son
of intense vitality, interested in every form of human activity, ac­quainted
with leaders of thought in many parts of the world. He
became a world figure not only in the sense that he was internation­ally
known, but in his seeking for the truth that underlies all human
thought and faith. Few could keep up with him. Many failed to
understand him. Yet today his name is among those who are shaping
history.
His interest in the missions of the Church led him to study other
religions. Today, in a shrunken world, the Church finds itself a neigh­bor
to all the peoples of Africa and Asia, with their cultures and
religions. We speak of a crisis in missions; Söderblom saw this prob­lem
and tried to give an answer to the question of how we should
look on the beliefs of these people when we witness to our own faith.
Söderblom experienced the anguish of the First World War when
so-called Christian nations attempted to annihilate each other. What
message does the Church have in these days of modern war? He re­joiced
in receiving the Nobel Peace prize for his endeavors. He would
have been happier to know that the Church had something to say—
even before nuclear "progress!"
He realized that there was something wrong when churches fought
each other rather than the forces of evil in the world. He brought
about the Stockholm Conference in 1925 and helped lay the founda­tions
for the World Council of Churches. Then the Church of Rome
refused to cooperate. Later John XXIII and the II Vatican Council in
many respects followed a path geared up by the Archbishop of Upp­sala.
What was the faith of this remarkable man? What were his deepest
thoughts? In this book Charles Curtis helps us to understand him.
50
The author finds the key in Söderblom's ideas on revelation. For the
revelations of God was the theme of Söderblom's early book, T h e N a ­t
u r e of R e v e l a t i o n , 1905 (translated, it is worth remembering by Prof.
F. E. Pamp of the Covenant Church) and this was the dominant
thought of his last, unfinished book ( T h e L i v i n g God—the Gifford Lec­tures
at Oxford). Söderblom was not a systematic theologian, and
systematic theologians have a hard time judging him. He was, I make
bold to assert, a theological artist rather than a scientific theologian.
His keen intellect was trained on finding how God has revealed him­self
in the experiences of men and women. He never got far from his
pietistic father's conviction that God lives and works today. The
Creator did not cease creating. He is still t h e creative power in the
world of nature and of man. We can trace His activity in all religions,
for all truth is of Him. He is the power that inspires every genius,
in art, literature, music, as well as the source of the proclamations
of the prophets. Above all He has revealed himself in Jesus Christ,
supremely on the Cross, and this is the revelation of both the written
and the Spoken Word.
Curtis' book is a careful, scholarly analysis of Söderblom's writings,
all of them in some way striking the chord of "revelation." The many
quotations allow Söderblom to speak for himself and the author guides
the reader in getting some sort of systematic view of a wealth of ma­terial
not clearly systematized by Söderblom himself. The author also
endeavors to evaluate the criticisms directed at Söderblom.
This is not a theological review, for the readers of this Q u a r t e r l y
are probably not theologians. For the benefit of the layman who
reads Curtis' book, I would offer an observation that may forestall
some questions as to Söderblom's "orthodoxy." Many of us would
use the word "revelation" more strictly than Söderblom did, and
instead of "revelation" would use the word "interpretation." Much of
Söderblom's treatment of "genius" and "history" refers to men's inter­pretation
of God, but his point is that in these interpreters the Spirit
of God was active. Yet he allows that the revelation in the Old and
New Testament is a "special" revelation, as Curtis amply documents.
Prof. Bengt Sundkler of the University of Uppsala—who is himself
writing a biography of Söderblom, preparatory to the meeting of the
World Council of Churches at Uppsala in 1968—claims in the intro­duction
to Curtis' volume that Sweden has contributed two great
names to the history of international relationships of our day—Dag
Hammarskjöld and Nathan Söderblom. If one of the goals of the P i o ­n
e e r Q u a r t e r l y is to be an instrument of communication between this
country and Sweden, its readers will be as interested in the theology
of Söderblom as in the career of Hammarskjöld. Both have had a
part in lifting the level of humanity in this century.
CONRAD BERGENDOFF
51